OK, that makes me angry/sad. I'm usually not one to be upset with the networks, because I know they are in it to make money, but I really believed them when they said they were going to air all the episodes. I'm so trusting...

The ratings did that. This does seem to be a pretty strong signal of its fate, though. Fireworks, really. Dollhouse is right over there, right next to the robot show I don't want to start a fight here about.

And I'm not directing this at FOX specifically. But it seems like, and I'm speculating here, that Joss is essentially being punished for doing something similar to Season 4 of Buffy, i.e., wrapping up the season story line an ep early, and making a thoughtful, experimental, non-traditional finale. In the ultra-formulaic world of television, this is pretty ballsy to do once, let alone twice. Of the top of my head, I can't think of ANY other show that's done it, even ground-breaking cable shows. And, you know, it makes sense in a lot of ways. A nice parallel is music: for every album that ends with a big epic final song, I own one where the penultimate song is the "finale" and the last song is more of a quiet, thoughtful comedown from that. But I'm willing to bet that if Joss had dragged out the plot another episode and made the thirteenth ep into a more traditional finale, we'd be seeing it on air.

I like dollhouse... but I have expected this, I did not see the show as a take off hit and felt it hit everything I like about television, meaning other people probably don't agree. I hate most TV shows yet they stay on, exactly as I expected.

Now not cancelled yet, but still not expecting much. I was just glad to have some Purple on my TV again and will be happy when it returns, and when it goes away I will have my DVD's to cheer me up.

Well, that's an intriguing statement, gossi. I wonder what the issue with the episode in question is. Do you think you'll be able to enlighten us about that someday?

I'll say this: Restless was brilliant TV. I don't think it'd fly today, not on network TV. They're desperately after eyeballs right now - the biz is in the tank - and so I get it. It is too weird for many folk just tuning in and they'd tune out pretty fast, probably. That said, we don't know if Epitaph One = Restless-level greatness. Felicia sounded pretty bummed about it, though. If she's disappointed, I am, too.

Also: yes. Please, please let the next Jossian production be on cable. That's not a surefire route to longevity, but the odds really do seem to be much, much better. Like, better than 50 billion dollar lottery stakes, which it seems what debuting a show on network TV is these days.

FWIW, to go along with my Comic-Con screening prediction: Holding what coudl be considered a bridge episode between a season one and a season two until July, rather than burning it off in May would give them a mid-summer burst of new press for the show if they were going to need such a burst to promote a scond season.

The whole "They're holding this back to use to promote season 2" theory surely goes out of the window after the Dr Horrible Twitter? They'd know if that was the reason surely? The fact that that Twitter is negative in tone is not a good sign.

BrownCoat_Tabz, according to the other spoilers regarding this episode and the one preceding it, it's actually number 12 where that spoiler you're referencing occurs.

As I understand it, ep. 13 is sort of a bridge episode to season 2, while ep. 12 is the real finale of the storyline we've seen.

It's possible, therefore, that ep. 13 is being held until the middle of the summer, as b!x suggests. Or, it could be that the "whole other issue" is that they've decided that the direction they were thinking of for season 2 won't happen (either because season 2 won't happen or because they're going in a different direction for it), so the episode no longer works.

Actually I have changed my opinion slightly to, just wait and see, nothing has been said officially yet...
Anyways I would love to get that Whedon Panic Color Coding thing..... like a color bar for the panic level... still really want that.

It's possible, therefore, that ep. 13 is being held until the middle of the summer, as b!x suggests. Or, it could be that the "whole other issue" is that they've decided that the direction they were thinking of for season 2 won't happen (either because season 2 won't happen or because they're going in a different direction for it), so the episode no longer works.

Which would have been fine if they'd said that. A "We're doing this and here's why" announcement would have been a positive thing. To let word leak out and cause all this speculation and doom mongering is just a PR disaster.

I have my twitter and gmail poised for optimal firing position at FOX, but I do want to wait until we hear what this "car crash" (as gossi alluded to) involving Joss is. I have a feeling there's much more fuel for the fire on the way, just not sure on the ETA ;)

I will say one thing, actually, before we masturbate ourselves into a blind panic ...

That blindness thing is a total myth. Hairy palms may be true though (I can personally vouch for hairy knuckles but remember kids, correlation is not causation).

So did gossi "program" Felicia or does she have the inside gen ? Is it wrong that, now that I know episode 13 is hers, i'm seriously considering pre-ordering the R1 DVD ? And the only reason I haven't is cos that may be exactly what Fox wants me to do (OK, i'm also saving a bit of cash for going on holiday but it's mainly the "running dog lackey" thing) ?

I understand that this doesn't necessarily seal the show's fate, but...I have been looking forward to this forever, especially since it's been compared to "Restless." It'll be on the DVD, yeah, but this is not cool.

Well, if they're still waiting to decide on renewal, then Fox REALLY needs get back in front of this story and make some sort of announcement about how they still believe in the show and have a good reason for not airing ep. 13.

Question: If the network, as reported recently, was exploring things like getting the studio to reduce the licensing fee in order to make a season two more financially viable, could this be part of such a deal? The network and the studio hold back 1x13 in order to (possibly) boost DVD sales for the studio as a way to offset a licensing fee reduction?

Say they're holding the episode to increase DVD sales--why? Anybody who liked the show enough to watch it all the way through (most likely) doesn't need that incentive to buy the set.

If the direction of the show is going to change and the episode in no way resembles what's coming for Season 2 anymore, why put it on the DVD in the first place? ("Echo" being there is understandable, because bits of it was spread throughout the series.) If that is the case, and it gets people excited, when Season 2 ties not into it all, that would piss people off.

And if they're going to cancel the show, why bother showing the final ep at Comi-Con? THAT would just piss people off.

I'm a little uncomfortable with the "car crash" metaphor to refer to the episode not airing. In light of the Angels pitcher who was just killed by a drunk driver, it kind of puts into perspective that there are far worse things that happen in the world. Not a criticism of anyone of course, just feeling a bit sensitive on that subject right now.

@gossi: Of course people are going to think it's cancelled! What bugs me it that *everyone* has been saying that if the last remaining episodes trend upwards, it could mean a renewal. NO ONE had completely written the show off yet. Then Fox goes and does *this*, effectively killing any and all chance of an uptrend.

ETA: I mean, I don't expect a Season 2. If there is one, I don't even expect 22 episodes. I'd be cool if they kept doing 13-ep runs every January. I just want to watch all the ones that have been made, that were promised to air, and then buy my Blu-Ray.

I refuse to buy the DVD set after seeing how FOX has screwed this up. In fact, I'm boycotting the network all-together for the next several months, I've already removed it from my program guide. Like many others, I'm tired of their meddling with creativity and the stupidity of their executives.

We need to be vocal and let them know that we won't tolerate this any longer.

I'd urge patience before we bombard them.
I seem to recall they at least claimed they hadn't made a decision on Angel, but then were pushed by everyone to make a decision before they were ready, and so they said "Fine, it's gone".

I could be recalling incorrectly, but it might just be in our best interest to hold off on ranting at them (ranting here is a totally different thing). Let's not force their hand.

WilliamTheBloody, it may not be a good idea to go them saying, "DECIDE CANCEL OR RENEW NOW NOW NOW," but I think it's worth sending emails and tweets voicing dissent about the decision not to air it. At least to try and prompt some sort of explanation as to why they decided this way.

And maybe if 20th make enough from the DVD they'll shop the show around ? Or support a TV movie or something ? MGM have stuck by the Stargates in exactly that way despite them having been cancelled (twice). Maybe not the same (the Stargates have 14 years of fans behind them) but not entirely dissimilar either.

I could be recalling incorrectly, but it might just be in our best interest to hold off on ranting at them (ranting here is a totally different thing). Let's not force their hand.

Well, I think assuming a bunch of internet farties twittering at them will force any hands is a bit self-deceiving but I admire the impulse towards restraint. I mean, how threatening can 140 characters be ?

@UnpluggedCrazy: I think most people get that point. But I speak for myself when I say, I feel like I am being manipulated into buying the DVD, more so than I would have been. I may have entitlement issues but this kind of deviousness is just skeevy.

To Add: I get that others are going to buy the dvd anyway, being supportive and what not. But there is only so much I myself can be supportive of regarding such exec shennanigins. I guess I've gotta line. Huh.

And I agree with SM -- NOT watching the show will have the opposite effect. Killing the ratings is the surest way to get our show cancelled!
Do the opposite -- spread the word. I don't want to post any spoilers, but tell others that haven't watched the show but like other Joss shows that they'll want to catch the next one!!!

Watch the show. Tell people to watch the show. You have to remind people that the show is on (yeah I even forget when most of my shows are on). :D Keep watching! If we're right - the entire story will be told by ep 12 (with plenty of story bits left over, but still being told).

My real concern at this point (probably already mentioned upthread somewhere) is that "announcing" this without explaining it, or commenting on it after it blew up in their faces, is likely just going to further reduce ratings as people view it as a "then why bother" moment.

They really screwed the pooch on how this was handled. I know we keep saying that, but honestly I'm not sure it can be said enough.

And yep, I think Fox can be said to categorically not have the "right stuff" where the Dollhouse PR is concerned. It almost makes it difficult to remember the old maxim about not ascribing to malice what can be explained by incompetence. Cos I mean there's incompetence and then there's this.

I'm not gonna say I'm done with Fox because of this, but really. I was so much the "FOX is a new network now, with competent people running it who will give things a chance," guy. I swallowed that line wholly and truly. I just can't stress my disappointment enough.

Not renewing Dollhouse would've been one thing. They'd given it a whole season, it didn't stick. I could deal with that, though obviously I wouldn't prefer it. But this... sigh.

The only way I could forgive this would be if it ended up serving as a bridge between S1 and S2. Otherwise, nope.

Damn. And it had to be Felicia's ep too. As if it didn't suck enough on it's own. Now I kinda start to hope Joss will leave network tv for ever. Not that long ago that was the nightmare scenario. If it turns out Joss can't put out anything out of the ordinary/interesting on Dollhouse the whole renewel would be kinda pointless anyway. I would much rather see him turn to the internet. If it turns out this is done too booster DVD sales, this will be the first Joss DVD I will not be buying.

ETA:

To compensate I'll just go for some more dr. Horrible DVD's where money actually goes to Joss.

I don't understand why some people are upset about fans showing their support for the show via twitter/facebook/email.... seems like its a good thing for Fox to see how much people support the show and want to see it continue. I mean, if I were the network people, silence would just confirm that people don't care anyway.

This can't be true right? They just recently assured us they were going to air them all. And why would they not air the 13th episode if they thought they might renew? I've skimmed through the thread so I apologize in advance if I've missed the answer.

This is such a big slap in the face to loyal fans who've stuck by the show, despite Fox's shady reputation. All that talk about there being a new management gave me hope that even if the show wouldn't get renewed, they would at least air all the episodes.

Joss will be at Harvard tomorrow to receive the "2009 Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism". There is going to be a Q&A after the ceremony, and I imagine this topic will come up. I'll be very interested to hear what he says. I don't have a phone I can Twitter on, though. Is anyone else going who can report to Whedonesque?

Squishy, the new current theory (see the newer Sepinwall thread here) apparently is that the network considers the original pilot and 1 through 12 to be the fulfillment of their order, and 1x13 to be outside of their commitment to air.

They don't care. Joss does. I'm buying them for myself and to show him my support.

Well, that's why I would by Dr. Horrible instead. (Which I would think is actually more directly profitable for Joss. But you know, the completist in me does want to have the DVD set (and I also really want the extra's) but you know, no one deserves to make money on this decision.

Would indeed be really nice to hear Joss about this. Or even better to have him post about it here.

Joss and the cast and crew worked really hard on this series. Why wouldn't you support it? As much as I hate FOX, I will ALWAYS love Joss more...and I refuse to stop supporting him just to stick it to them.

@Ameer: What makes you think they have to justify anything? Although, I must admit, they did a fine job when the "leak" of the Friday night Death Slot came to light. But then again they had Joss himself defending it and I tended to believe him more than the execs. Now I'm not so sure about Joss either. My faith is shaken.

What pisses me off isn't the decision itself, even though I obviously don't like it one bit. It's the total lack of an explanation. Fine, don't air it. You bought it, do what you please with it. Just say something that sounds moderately sensible and that won't make everybody feel like the show's chances are over so there's no reason to bother checking it out. And now it's probably too late, whatever spin they deign to give it. I don't think it was so difficult to anticipate the reactions to such news.

The whole thing just seems contrary to common sense where PR are concerned. Bah. And boo. Booooo.

A, now I get it josswhedonaddict. Well, I don't really believe in buying Dollhouse another season through DVD sales. I was mostly thinking about a situation where Dollhouse would be dead anyway. I wrote: If it turns out this is done to booster DVD sales, this will be the first Joss DVD I will not be buying.) And I'd guess this decision as a way to boost sales would only make sense if the show was canceled. Now it seems this most likely is not the reason, so I can just buy the DVD with clear consience :).

Also, I wasn't really in a Dollhouse supportive mood:

If it turns out Joss can't put out anything out of the ordinary/interesting on Dollhouse the whole renewel would be kinda pointless anyway. I would much rather see him turn to the internet.

So if FOX were never going to air episode 13 because it wasn't part of the season they ordered why did they reassure people a while ago that it would air?

The issue seems to be what Fox meant when they said they'd air "all" the episodes. To the network "all" meant the 12. In fact, if you go back and look (now that I think of it), kevin Reilly specifically referenced being able, because of the Friday night slot, to give the show "12 weeks" to build an audience. He never said "13", but we just assumed it was a glitch in his remark, not a statement that they were only showing 12 episodes.

Squishy, the new current theory (see the newer Sepinwall thread here) apparently is that the network considers the original pilot and 1 through 12 to be the fulfillment of their order, and 1x13 to be outside of their commitment to air.

I find it incredible that, if true, we're only finding this out now. I can understand Fox considering the original, scrapped, pilot to be one of the 13 they ordered if Joss made the episode up to standard and they decided they didn't like it and asked for it to be scrapped but the fandom should have been told there and then that there will now only be 12 episodes airing.

I'm not going to trawl back through every official announcement to see if they said All the episodes will air" or "All thirteen episodes will air" but I, like everyone else here, clearly got the very firm impression that there will be thirteen episodes airing, that was what was ordered, that's what they paid for, that's what we'll get etc etc.

To suddenly to be told, or to have to work out from leaks and rumours, that the last episode isn't part of the deal now, a couple of weeks before its due to air....

If this is the case (they didn't actually order the 13th episode) then where does that episode come from? It was made. Somebody paid for it. I could understand if maybe the production company paid for an extra episode, hoping they'd be able to sell it to Fox or at least put it on the dvd, but why would we not be told this upfront?? Very confused still...